Cryptic Kingdom
by Raining Haven
Summary: Locked away and hidden from daylight, one of three princes finds himself with a problem: The key to freedom resides in a sacrifice of his dearest treasure, the human girl who promises never to leave him. (Mahiru-Nozomu story)
1. Prologue

**_Cryptic Kingdom_**

(Prologue)

_Whispers of life carried by the night's cool breeze wrapped around her like a lucid dream. She stood near the gate, eyes closed, soaking up the marveled sound of a lone violin playing one distinctive song over and over. Her best friend glared at her with fury in his eyes as she listened to the silvery tune. _

In his room, the forlorn prince of the tainted kingdom continued to play. His hands moved with skill and grace as the bow gently slid over the strings of his precious violin. He did this every night just as the sun went down. 'This song', he told himself, 'will set us free again…'

Before long, the violin was joined by the faint sound of a piano, then by the haunting hum of the cello. As the three princes played from their rooms, they dreamed of basking in the faint moonlight that brought them to life time and time again.

_It was said that when the princes were thought to be something other than human, they were each locked in their own palace behind a single golden gate. A powerful mage heard of their predicament and placed an incantation upon them, both as a blessing and a curse. To save each prince the pain of reality, they were locked inside their own homes made of silver, crystal, and jade. Whenever the dawn of light touched the royal grounds, the imprisoned court faded away with the night's bleak darkness._

_As the song reached its countless end, the violinist set down his bow and peered out the stained glass window at the two forms standing just outside his reach. 'They can see us?' he asks himself while unlocking the brass latch holding the window closed._

_From outside, the young girl and her friend watched with amazement as someone leaned out the window and called to them: "The morning approaches, you must take your leave!"_

_

* * *

_

**AN:** Confused? Sorry…I should be doing my online classes right now, but I wanted to start this. I apologize for any errors; I'll fix them right away.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Crescent Moon or any of its characters, nor do I own any of the ideas I may borrow from other animes, books, or movies. I only own the basic story line, nothing else.

Well, that's the prologue! I'm sorry it's so short, but I'll work on making the actual chapters longer if anyone wants me to continue this. _(This is a warning, I'm making this a Mahiru-Nozomu story but all of the main characters will be in it.)_ I really appreciate you reading this; please don't forget to review!

Thanks!


	2. Chapter one

**Chapter one**

Floods of dark and shades of gray swirled around the frightened girl and her best friend as the fairy tail castle faded with the light. 'Is this another earthquake?' she asked herself while clinging to the gate. As the ground below her rippled beneath her feet, she looked up at the window where the stranger warned them to leave.

"I think," her friend breathed heavily, "We're in trouble." Everything except the castle and its grounds had blacked out like oils on a watercolor landscape—something very, _very_ wrong was arising.

From the doorway a mass of shadowy creatures appeared, dancing and twirling their way to the gate to show the frightened humans inside. Hesitantly they followed the faceless phantoms past the gates and though the silver toned doors into what looked like a dream.

What awaits the unknown eyes?—Water, as far as they could see; a sapphire ocean that turns and flows like this is where it was naturally meant to be. A spiraling glass staircase slowly appeared at their feet, almost daring them to follow it into the sky. The boy stepped carefully onto the thin glass to make sure he wouldn't fall though, then helped his friend up and up until the seemingly endless circle of stairs ended at the second level.

"I see you did not heed the warning."

Violin in hand, the prince stepped from the shadows into the candlelit doorway.

"It has been a while since we last had a visit," his voice shaky from the lack of use.

"W-what is this place?" The girl's entire body was trembling with unmistakable terror as the sea below began to climb.

"My own personal nightmare," the prince answered, now looking past the girl and her friend as if they were just a cruel twist in his already miserable existence.

"Listen, you," the boy hissed. "I don't care who you are, or what _nightmare _you claim this to be, but I demand to know how we get out of this place!"

"Mitsuru," the girl took her friend's hand and pointed down the fire-lit hall past the prince standing incoherently in front of them. In the shadows stood two lone figures, each seemingly staring past the frightened humans at the top of the staircase.

"I don't understand this," the smaller of the two people said as he stepped into the light of a nearby torch. His silver-rimmed glasses glowed orange, reflecting the firelight like mirrors. "You're human, are you not?"

"Y-yes. Human…" the girl mumbled.

"And how did you manage to get into our home?" the other prince said as he too took a step towards the light.

"I don't really know." The girl looked down at where the main door once was. A polished azure floor now took the place of the sea, leveling out the staircase and redeeming it safe to move from where they were standing.

The tall, blonde haired man now seemed like a boy, staring down at the humans with curious eyes. "Perhaps," he finally spoke, "This is all just a mistake. By nightfall you should be free to leave again— "

"—Unless," the smaller prince interrupted. "Unless this girl is the _one._"

With this, the violin-bearing prince turned to question his friend with silent words spoken with his sapphire eyes.

Finally, the smallest of the princes spoke again. "We will wait. In one day's time, if this girl can leave us and come back without harm, then we will have our answer."

The brown-haired prince nodded once in agreement. "Do you have a name, fair princess?"

The girl swallowed hard on air, trying to decide if she should answer. After a few moments, her feet slowly took a step forward. "My name is Mahiru," she paused, then turned to her friend. "And this is Mitsuru."

Not paying heed to the boy, the three princes bowed to the young girl before them.

"It is of my honor to welcome you to our home, Lady Mahiru," the blonde prince said. "I am known as Nozomu, bearer of the violin's silent cries."

The smaller prince now stepped forward. "I am Mitsoka; pianist of this forsaken land."

"And I am Akira, keeping the living forever connected with the dead through the help of my cello's forlorn tune."

Mahiru bowed her head, silently praying that this was all just a dream.

"Lady Mahiru," Nozomu held her chin up with his ivory-like index finger. "I know our predicament frightens you," he paused, gazing down into her eyes. "But I need you to know, no harm will come to you so long as you promise me one thing."

Mahiru stared up at the godly creature in front of her, an unspoken force bonding her eyes to his.

"I need you to promise never to leave here until one of us assures your safety." Nozomu's voice was soft but strict, something was coming over him he couldn't quite understand.

"She will promise you no such thing," Mitsuru spat. "I don't know why you fools have it in your heads that Mahiru is of some importance to your charade, but it couldn't be farther from the truth."

Stepping behind the troubled boy, Akira placed his hand on Mahiru's shoulder and looked her directly in the eyes. "You need to trust us, if you wish to see your home again."

Dazed, Mahiru nodded. "I understand…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

* * *

(A/N) It's been such a long time! I am so sorry it has taken my over a year to update... I honestly don't know what happened with me. For some reason, I just didn't want to write anymore. But! I'm over it now, so I will be updating all of my stories as soon as I can. Any requests as to which I should update next? 

Thank you to everyone who have continued to cheer me on throughout the year of my absence. If not for you, I wouldn't bother to finish the works I've started. You all are amazing, I thank you for pushing me forward.

And, now that it's past one in the morning here, I am going to call it a night! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of _Cryptic Kingdom! _I will be working on updating my other stories ASAP.


	3. Chapter two

"Mahiru," Mitsuru whispered into his best friend's ear. "I don't know what these fools think they can do to us, keeping us locked in the parlor like this, but we _must _escape. Who knows what they'll do you us--to _you_; I do not want to wait around and find out."

Mahiru tugged at the hem of her skirt, gazing at the polished ivory doors forcing them to stay in the barely lit room. Books lined the walls by the hundreds, a massive window was at their back. Mahiru and Mitsuru sat uneasily upon the velvety crimson loveseat at the very back of the room--the only piece of furniture in sight.

"I don't know what to do, Mitsuru," she whispered back. In the back of her mind, she knew it was silly to be whispering, since they were obviously so alone she worried they might be long forgotten, but a paralyzing fear rippled through her so greatly that a whisper was all she could muster. "Do you suppose they were lying to us? Perhaps they intend on keeping us here just to waste away in this room."

Mitsuru got to his feet, shakily, and carefully made his way to the locked door. Its golden handle was cold under his skin, but he tried nevertheless to force it open once more, to no avail. "It's no use," he signed. He pressed his ear up against the seemingly stone surface, alabaster perhaps, listening for any sign of life behind the doors. "Mahiru…" he trailed off, listing to the murmurs his ears were barely picking up. "It sounds like they've been waiting for someone to come. I keep hearing them mention a princess; her blood, her tears."

Mahiru dug her nails into her palms. Could they really mean me? she wondered. She was very afraid of this thought, not for herself, but for her dearest friend. She would willingly put herself in the greatest of danger to keep him from the tiniest bit of harm or sadness. Her stomach leapt inside her, doing frantic turns as she prayed. If they wanted her blood, her tears… would it be enough to spare Mitsuru's life?

"We will find a way out," Mahiru promised, her voice so soft it wouldn't have been heard if even a pin had dropped. "We will. Somehow, Mitsuru… I promise, somehow, we will find the way out of her."

Just as the scared girl finished her oath, the massive door opposite Mitsuru pulled open ever so gently. Startled, Mitsuru fell backwards, tumbling hard against the marble floor below him. Akira, the price of the cello, stood before them, his eyes a bit more alive then they had been for many thousands of years.

"Lady Mahiru," he smiled, a genuine smile--rare to him these days, "We invite you to dine with us; I have prepared a meal fit for a queen just for you."

"A-alright," Mahiru gulped, somehow managing to add a bit more volume to her shaken voice. "But Mitsuru can come with me, right?" If Mitsuru didn't come, surely she would be terrified out of her mind--who knows if they were really planning on giving them a feast.

"Of course," Akira bowed his head slightly, looking down at the sprawled boy at his feet.

Mitsuru glared up at him.

Mahiru got to her feet and hurried over to help Mitsuru up, clutching on to him like she might break into a million pieces if he wasn't there to hold her up as they followed the copper-haired prince down a shadowy hall, passing phantom doors and paintings that seemed very alive until they reached their destination.

Nozomu waited in plain view from were they stood, in the most glorious of rooms Mahiru could have ever imagined. The ceiling was made entirely of glass--crystal perhaps, domed and cut like thousands of silvery diamonds in the sky, reflecting the light of the full moon so brightly that candlelight was hardly needed. The room itself was round, the same ivory walls paneled and accented with silver lined the room gracefully. They too were somehow managing to reflect the light of the moon. The floor was just as astonishing, Mahiru couldn't decide if it was quarts or a silvery gray shade of marble, but it seemed to glow with light around the honey-gold haired prince waiting to welcome them.

"Good evening," he too smiled a most genuine smile. "Might I say, I have never seen the moon reflect so beautifully, it is indeed a perfect night to welcome our guest."

"Thank you…" Mahiru smiled back, a sort of forced smile. She was sure this was a dream. Rooms like this did not exist in her world. Forlorn princes were not held prisoner in their own homes. Castles did not swallow people up alive. It had to be a dream.

"Won't you come in?" Misoka peeked around the back of the table Mahiru had just then noticed, it covered with as much food as it could hold.

Akira took a hold of Mahiru's elbow and guided her and Mitsuru into the godly room. They sat in comfortable plush velvet chairs on the opposite end of the table were the princes eagerly stood. "Please," Akira motioned to the gourmet food he had prepared, "Help yourselves to whatever suits your tastes."

"Did you poison this?" Mitsuru glared at the food on his golden plate. "Mahiru," He squeezed her hand under the table. "Don't eat it… I don't trust these people…"

"I promise you, nothing is the least bit poisoned," Akira glanced at the boy, trying not to be offended. "You will find no harm in my food unless you stumble upon something that clashes with your allergies."

Sensing the fear still in the humans, Nozomu walked--floated--to where his princess sat, picked up an apple next to her plate, and pressed it to his lips. Taking the smallest bite, he chewed carefully, then set the rest down; his eyes never leaving Mahiru. "You see?" He said gently. "It's perfectly safe."

Mahiru looked down at the bitten fruit, staring at it with such astonishment she almost forgot what Nozomu had just said. The apple, blood red and seemingly very delicious, was pierced with a pair of twin holes.

The kiss of fangs upon forbidden fruit.

Mahiru looked up again at the tall and ghostly man standing beside her. "You …you're a vampire?"

"I suppose you could say that…" Nozomu looked over to his friends, his fellow princes. They stared back cautiously.

"There is no need to be afraid, however." Misoka's voice was calm but careful. "We may not be human, but we're not monsters, either. We are from a very rare kingdom that humans have all but forgotten in this age."

"The Lunar Race." Mitsuru looked down at his plate without really seeing it.

All else in the room stared at the boy, the princes themselves startled that he would know such a thing.

"That is correct, Mitsuru," Nozomu's velvet voice broke the silence. "We belong to the Lunar Race."

"I'm curious, though," Misoka edged closer to the children sitting at their dining table. "How did you know such a thing?"

Mahiru stared at her best friend, she too a little shocked that he would know about the creatures before them. She had always thought there was something different about him, his strange personality seemed to set him apart from anyone else she'd ever met. He was her wind that kept her moving while she was rooted to the earth.

"My mother told me about you." Mitsuru finally spoke up. Mahiru's eyes watched him carefully--he'd never spoken about his parents before.

"Interesting," Misoka smiled, tilting his head ever so slightly; just enough to have the orange glow of firelight reflect off his glasses yet again. The light of the flames danced in the refection, hiding his eyes as he thought.

"Interesting indeed," Akira sat down at the opposite end of the table. He knew what his friend was thinking--what Nozomu was thinking as well.

Not only had they found their Princess, but also an escaped prince hiding in the world of humans.

Shadows played on the walls, the dining table; the room getting darker as the silence vastly grew. The shining moon hid behind the clouds as they started filling the sky, making the few candles and torches strategically placed throughout the room very necessary to see anything in the bleak darkness. It was almost surreal, Mahiru thought, as shadow swallowed them alive.

* * *

Chapter two done! I hope you guys will forgive me for updating so very late. It's been a rough year, but I do plan on continuing with these stories. I'm not sure which I'll work on next, so requests are always welcome! And again, please forgive me for taking forever! I'm so, so sorry. And also, please forgive my errors. I'm not good at picking them up alone. I'll fix them as soon as I notice them, I promise. 


	4. Chapter three

"Fear not, Lady Mahiru." Nozomu's soft voice told the panicked girl next to him. His sapphire eyes searched the crystal ceiling as if the secrets to the world were written there. "It is _always _darkest just before the light." His eyes left the bleak sky and fell upon his new treasure--the young girl who he believed would save them. He smiled at her sincerely, his heart knowing happiness just by looking at his princess. She stared back at him, her heart beating faster with each passing moment.

"It's almost morning?" Mahiru asked, somehow managing to break her gaze to look at her quiet friend. "Are you alright, Mitsu? We can go home soon!"

Mitsuru looked up from his untouched plate of food, his mind frantically trying to form the words that were in the pit of his stomach. He knew something about this was wrong. Mahiru looked at him like she always had, her soft smile melting away his anger at the beasts who had imprisoned them for the night. Panic took the place of anger. What were they going to do to him for knowing what they were? Would he never be free of this place with Mahiru again? Would he be silenced forever?

"Mitsuru?" Mahiru asked again, her voice more worried than before.

Mitsuru shook his head hard, banishing the dark thoughts from his head. "I am fine," he promised her.

Misoka watched the guests from the doorway, his eyes shifting from them to his friend. Nozomu had not spoken so much, or smiled even, in what seemed like hundreds of years. Now out of this turn of events, it had seemed like he was a child again, his eyes shinned with happiness. No doubt Akira had caught on to this as well, Misoka thought. If Mahiru was not the lady in waiting they had been praying with all of their souls for, surely this would kill his friend. That was something Misoka was not willing to see happen, even if it cost him his own soul to prevent it.

"Day is breaking," Akira spoke up. "Shall we see if you are able to leave?"

Nozomu looked wearily over at his copper haired friend. The beasts within them were about to emerge, this he knew. The curse of the day was inescapable to them. It pained him to think of another day passing when freedom seemed to be at his fingertips. He was worried, deep down in the blackest part of his soul, that if his true self was to surface before they could get Mahiru to safety, he might not be able to control his thirst. It had be so long since he'd tasted the sweet bitterness of a princess's blood.

Mahiru got to her feet, bowing slightly to the prince of the cello. "Thank you so much for the food," she said sincerely even though she hadn't laid a finger on her plate.

Akira smiled at her warmly. "It was my pleasure, fair princess."

Mahiru smiled back as well, not wanting to be rude. She tugged at Mitsuru's sleeve, trying to get the boy up from where he slumped over again. By now, the tiniest shards of light were playing on the crystal dome that was the ceiling. Rainbows of light were thrown in every direction. Mahiru was entranced by the beauty of it all, the seemingly godly room was turning orange as the sun broke through the darkness she had just been afraid of. She was so distracted, in fact, that she did not notice her friend hunched over in pain.

Mitsuru clenched his fingers tightly into a fist and slammed it over his heart. His eyes squeezed shut. His head spun. His breath came and left in gasps, it felt like an iron band was tightly squeezing around his chest. Cold beads of sweat formed on his brow, dripping down his cheeks like the tears of his humanity were crying for him in the only way it knew how. He opened his eyes again, frantic to see anything familiar to distract him from the immense pain. He looked up at Mahiru, who was still awestruck over the light of day. She looked different somehow, unfamiliar but the same. He then realized the men that had captured them were watching him with remorseful sadness.

"What have you done to me?" he managed to say between gasps.

Mahiru tore her eyes away from the beauty above her when she heard Mitsuru's hoarse voice. "Mitsuru!" She shouted, horror and panic assaulting her like thousands of tiny pin picks all over her body. Mitsuru's eyes had gone from their warm brown color to darker than dark brown, the pupils going white and spiraling in the iris'. His once untouched cheeks were now slashed twice on both sides like tribal markings. His clammy skin was going ghostly white from the pain that he was enduring. "What's happening to him?!" She demanded, spinning around on the balls of her heels to face the princes'.

Three creatures took the place of the men who were there not two minutes ago, the light of day shining over them brightly. Mahiru's eyes went wide, fear crashing into her like a tsunami's massive wave. A tall, muscular man with fangs now stood beside her in the place of the much softer looking Nozomu. To his left, in the doorway, stood a creature who looked both human and animal alike. His hair was long and silvery, his ears were that of a fox. At the end of the table sat a mammoth wolf, whose bone structure let him sit like a human instead of an animal. They all stared at her reaction, too cautious to speak to the girl who was now frantic.

"I'm dreaming," Mahiru reasoned with herself, the palms of her shaking hands covering her eyes. "Let this be a dream!"

"It is not," the fox told her. He stepped into the now painfully bright room, carefully approaching the princess and their escaped prince. "Your friend has started his transformation," he whispered softly, looking down at the princess whose eyes were still covered by the palms of her hands. "He will be fine in a few minutes."

Mahiru threw her hands down to glare at the fox she was still sure was a dream. Tears streaked her flushed cheeks and crashed to the floor below. "Are you blind?" she choked, pointing to her best friend. "He's in pain! Something is clearly happening to him, it's _hurting _him! How can you just stand there and do nothing?"

As she finished, a great wind tore through the room, throwing dishes left and right. It lifted the chairs off the floor and crashed them against the walls. Food splattered in every possible direction, but not a single spec collided with Mahiru. She clung to the table for dear life, feeling as though the great wind would either suffocate her or tear her to shreds if it did not end soon.

"You must stop, boy!" A deep voice called through the windstorm. "Your actions will surely kill everyone, including Mahiru!"

At this, the wind began to lose its force. Mitsuru's pain was fading, and the words of the vampire had stuck his most tender nerve. Kill Mahiru? Mitsuru thought to himself. "I would _never _harm her…" a deep, older voice escaped from his lips. "Mahiru… I'm sorry," he began, before he noticed his voice was not his own.

The girl who was his best and only friend stared up at him, her eyes clouded with pain. "Mitsu?" She asked, using his childhood nickname that only she was allowed to call him. "Is that really… is it _really_ you, Mitsuru?"

Mitsuru's brows pulled into a line across his forehead, not understanding her words. "What do you mean?" he asked, just then realizing that his voice had gone to that of a man, deep with age. His eyes went wide with shock as he looked down at his hands, which were now much larger with sharp claws at the end of each finger. He unthinkingly ran a hand through his hair--a nervous habit of his--only to find that it had grown much longer and stood up on its own. This was too much for him, as he realized even his clothes had changed. "What the hell is going on?!" He barked at the vampire.

"You are of our blood, boy." Nozomu told the terrified beast before him. "We've thought someone else might be out there," he continued, his voice now nothing more than a faint whisper. "All of us has felt your presence at one point or another." He looked over at the werefox, silently asking him with a single glance to continue the story.

The fox nodded once. "We were once a group of four, you see." He looked from beastly boy to the now near-fainting Mahiru. "Four of the last kin from the Lunar Race, and our Princess made five."

This got Mahiru's attention. She tried to force calm into her shaking body as she brushed away her tears with her fingertips.

"We used to be happy, healthy, and free, long ago." the fox continued. "It was like that for many years, until a great panic began stir in the villages that neighbored our own. The modern age was beginning, and we were viewed as monsters. Other towns began to fear us, feeling if we were not destroyed then we would come and massacre them in the midst of the full moon's light. This, however, could not be farther from the truth." The fox like man looked to the sky as he continued his story. "I will admit, the Lunar Race has never been fond of humans with the exception of the Princess. We had been through wars with them far too many times to see them as friends. However, we had no intention of hurting them, either. We wanted to continue our peaceful life with the Princess for as long as we possibly could."

"But is was not to be," the wolf spoke up. "One night, our lives were shattered as the humans began their attack."

"They chose a night of a new moon, of course," the vampire said with a gloomy voice. "A night where our powers are almost non existent."

The wolf nodded. "The burst into our castle, ready to do anything necessary to take us down. They wanted us dead, no matter what the cost. Our home was soon burning with angry flames, and the villagers were hunting us like they were sure we would hunt them."

"We had little hope for escape," the fox told them. "They were very thorough, blocking all the doors and windows. We knew we needed to get the princess out of there, because she was in the most danger. We can withstand fire for a while, but being the human that she was, we were scared for her much more than we were scared for our own lives. We watched the flames climb the walls, dancing and twirling in their hypnotic ballet as we searched our frantic minds for a solution. Finally, the Tengu of our clan stepped up and took the princess in his arms. He gave the rest of us an apologetic look as he broke the second story window with a cyclone of wind, but we knew in the back of our minds that if only one of us were to survive, as long as he could take the princess with him, it would be enough."

The vampire looked at Mitsuru with hard eyes. "It has been nine hundred years since then, Tengu. We thought you had died, but it seems your memory had lapsed while protecting the princess."

"Tengu?" Mitsuru asked. He looked down at Mahiru yet again, worried she might be as afraid of him as she was of the other beasts that surrounded her.

"Yes," the fox told him sternly. "You are Mitsuru, Tengu of the Lunar Race, as I am Misoka, the Werefox, Nozomu the Vampire, and Akira the Werewolf." His eyes now focused on Mahiru, who was having trouble letting this all sink in. It was like a dark fairytale, she thought. "And we believe that Mahiru is our Princess. She wouldn't have been allowed in by the spells that keep us here if she were not."

Mahiru was taken aback. She felt the butterflies in her belly swarm like mad, her head spun with all of the information she had just received. There was a part of her that could not believe any of this, even if she was seeing it with her own two eyes. But another part somehow felt calmed by their words, feeling like they were flowing from her own heart as they were spoken. She was torn.

"Lady Mahiru," Nozomu's voice broke her from her thoughts. "As much as I would love to discuss this with you all day long, you must leave before your small window of opportunity closes. Once the sun is fully up for the day, you will not be able to leave again until tomorrow's break of day."

Mahiru looked up at her now much taller, almost demonic friend. "You come with me, won't you Mitsu?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"He cannot, I'm afraid," Misoka told her. "The curse now bears him to this place as well."

"Then I don't want to leave!" Mahiru shouted, her voice full of terror. "I can't leave him here. I can't! He's my best friend, the only person in the world that I have. I can't leave him like this!"

Mitsuru's chest went tight. He hated putting Mahiru on the spot like this. He hated making her upset in any way, and this was clearly causing her pain.

"Don't worry!" Akira smiled a huge wolfy smile. "Leave now, just to see if you can. If you really are allowed to pass, then you should be able to come back as well. That means, as soon as the sun sets, you will be able to pass through the gates again."

Mitsuru sighed. "It will be okay. Besides, if you don't get home soon your aunt will go crazy, and you know it."

Nozomu took the girl by the hands, his sapphire eyes staring deeply into her London blues. "It _will _be okay, princess," he said softly. "You have my word."

"Alright…" Mahiru finally agreed once his gaze and compassion convinced her. She turned to Mitsuru, nearly jumping on him with a huge bear hug--the only thing she could think of to do to comfort him. "You had better be okay," she warned him. "Or I'm going to have to beat you up like I did when we were little."

Mitsuru's cheeks went red. He was glad Mahiru could still tease him even when he looked like a monster. He patted her back before gently shoving her away. "I'll be fine. Just come back soon, alright?"

Mahiru smiled, her first non-scared smile all night. "I promise." She hooked her pinky around his, just like she used to do when they were little, making secret promises that were only official by the sacred pinky swear.

"Alright, princess!" Akira scooped her up in his massive arms, startling the girl. "Let me give you a ride to the door or you won't make it out in time."

And with that, they were gone.

Mitsuru felt his heart sink as he watched them go. Sadness enveloped his soul, as his eyes got hard. He could not believe he just agreed to staying in a place like this, with people who were so clearly mad. But if it meant Mahiru would be safe and away from them, he thought, then it would be worth it.

"You're just how you used to be," Nozomu's large vampire hand ruffled the Tengu's hair. Mitsuru shook his head violently as he was pulled from his sad thoughts.

"Get your hands off me, creep!" he hissed. He may be stuck here as a monster, but he didn't have to like it.

"Relax," Nozomu sighed. "I am not going to harm you."

"And what if I don't believe you?" Mitsuru asked.

Nozomu turned slightly, pointing to the walls of the once beautiful room. Mitsuru's eyes went wide when he realized the mess he caused had splattered food on every surface of the room. Nozomu sighed again. "Do you really think I would harm the person who is going to clean up this mess?"

Mitsuru eyed the cranberry sauce dripping from the ceiling, the turkey caught in the chandelier, the sea of lettuce from the salads, potatoes, rolls, a couple of rotisserie chickens, and a massive roasted pig, apple in its mouth and all, scattered about the floor. Food of every kind colored the room like an abstract painting.  
"You want me to clean this all up alone?"

"You made the mess all on your own," Nozomu shrugged.

Misoka smiled. "Don't torture the boy, Nozomu," he told him. "We'll help. Just this once, of course. If you ever cause mass destruction on our home again, you are on your own, friend."

Mitsuru hung his head while he grumbled. "Understood," he mumbled finally.

He was already counting the minutes until nightfall.

* * *

Chapter three is done! And it's dedicated to **moonsnite, Sillvog, Krystelvampire, FirestormAngelBlaze, **and** MarHeavenAngel**! Thank you guys so much for reading the last chapter and keeping me going. I would really like to update this more often, but I tend to forget a lot. Would anyone like to be an AIM buddy to remind me to keep writing? If so, drop me an email. : I defiantly will update this soon.

Thank you so much to anyone who has stayed with me all this time. And thank you to the new readers too! I adore you guys so much.

Please be kind and review, your thoughts keep me going!

And also, please forgive the typing and spelling errors. It's hard to pick them up on my own, but I will fix them as soon as I notice them. I promise.


	5. Chapter four

Before I begin chapter four, I would like to respond to those of you who took the time review the last chapter.

_**moonsnite:** _Thanks so much for the support! :P I didn't know you were a cellist! That's so awesome. I'd like to hear your scenarios at some point, if you don't mind.

_**krystelvampire:** _I'm glad you enjoyed the surprise! I'll try to update a lot more frequently. The OOC part is indeed intentional. This is an Alternate Universe type of story (I'm sorry, I think I forgot to warn people of that in the beginning!), and although I'm doing my best to keep some of the guidelines for the characters the same as in the manga, at the moment, they have to be very different in order to fit the story. They'll become more like their manga-selves later on though. Ack, I'll try harder with the describing part. I think the last chapter's only part I really described with the dialog was the bit about their history, and that was only for Mahiru's sake of hearing it… But if you think I need to work on it, then work on it I shall. Thanks for the review!

_**Sillvog:** _Yes indeed! And here comes another update. Thanks for the review, I'm glad you're still reading this. :P

* * *

Mahiru felt like she was being swallowed alive as Akira helped her through the front door. The outside world she was accustomed to could not be seen from this end, only a liquid-like wall behind the door was there to great her as she was pushed through. Even though she was very used to swimming, this wall she was enveloped in was nothing like water. It was thick, almost like being pushed into a wall of gel. It smelled like the air right after a summer's rainstorm. Mahiru was surprised she was able to breathe, she thought she would surely drown in the silvery substance.

When she finally broke free, she found herself on the sidewalk adjacent to the vacant lot Mahiru had dragged Mitsuru to the night before. The fairytale castle she was trying to show him had vanished completely. The pit of her stomach began to ache as sunlight beat down on her.

Her life long friend had been devoured by the shadows she thought were a dream.

The early morning's wind began to pick up, rippling through her hair and twirling around her body. She stumbled forward, catching herself before tumbling to the cold cement below her feet.

Mahiru looked down at her watch -- it was five in the morning. Her aunt was do doubt terrified for her life, Mahiru thought. Her poor, over protective aunt, was probably going door to door asking the neighbors if they'd seen her. Mahiru breathed in a huge gulp pf air. She would be in the worst trouble of her life once she got back. Once her aunt got done crying with joy to have her daughter-like niece back, she would no doubt be in a world of trouble.

_Better to get it over and done with_, Mahiru thought. She had no idea what she was going to use as an explanation. Telling the truth would only get her into more trouble, since no one in their right mind would believe a castle that disappears by the light of day swallowed her and Mitsuru up for a whole night.

The wind picked up again, as if it were trying to push her along. This time, Mahiru obeyed it as she hurried off towards the home she shared with her only living relative.

Meanwhile, from inside the now lost castle, the princes' lonely song could be heard echoing throughout the vast halls. Its melody was the tiniest bit different than before. Instead of the song calling shadows to dance from the flames burning from the torches that lit their dark world, their song embraced what little sunlight managed to find its way into their home. It was like the song itself was alive, willing the princes to continue weaving the intricate sounds into the air.

Only by playing were the princes able to convert back to their human faces while the sun's light beat down on the earth. Never were they sure as to why they could escape the transformation through their songs. It was comforting during the many sleepless years they spent imprisoned there, to be able to remain in one constant form, even if it wasn't the one they were born in.

Nozomu stood at his window, gazing down through the intricate stained glass to the surreal landscape just outside his reach. His bow slid over the strings of his violin with such ease he didn't have to pay attention to the movements of his hands, all he had to do was pay attention to the melody that was coming from his friend's rooms to remain in perfect harmony.

The world just outside the glass he knew was no more than an illusion, even if it looked perfectly real and alive. At times, it was as peaceful as the days he used to know. It was as if the window was the window into his soul; looking through it, you could see what he was feeling.

Tranquil days reflected a full moon above masses of rolling hills covered in grass that swayed in the breeze. On days where sadness blurred his thoughts, rain would fall in their make-believe would. Rare days when he remembered their last night of freedom, looking out the window would be looking into a wall of flames, exactly what they saw when they were imprisoned.

Today, the window reflected something he hadn't seen in ages from his room -- the light of day. The golden rays shone down on him, warming him without the fear of burning he once had as a small child. He welcomed the change, a rare glimpse for hope he thought had long past.

His hands continued to play as he became lost in thought, his bow somehow changing the tune from the forlorn song he and his friends knew so well to a delicate lullaby, inspired by the rays of light swirling around him. Before he realized it, the other princes had stopped their playing to join him in his room, staring in wonder at the prince who broke their everlasting tune.

They could not object, however, as the song wrapped around them like blankets on a frozen winter's night.

From the dining room where Mitsuru had locked himself in, he could hear the lone violin humming away at the different song. He closed his eyes, letting the sweet sounds overtake him. It had been the first time in hours that he didn't feel enraged towards his company.

He felt in the back of his mind that him being locked in there was entirely the beasts' fault. He did not feel like he was one of them.

His eyes snapped open as the song abruptly stopped. Why had the vampire stopped playing? Slowly, Mitsuru got to his feet. He hesitated as he left the room in search for the others.

The halls looked even creepier during the day. Shadows formed from the sunlight that creped in and battled the shadows of the flames like ghosts who had grown bored over the ages. Shadows of great beasts hid in the corners, almost as if they were watching Mitsuru as he continued his search.

The air felt muggy against his skin, like being on a beach on a hot summer's day._ Humidity_, he thought to himself. How was that even possible? Japan never got like that, not unless you were near a beach. The mysteries of this place seized his thoughts as he studied his surroundings.

During the day, it seemed everything had gone from white to a opaque crystal color. Light only reached him though ripples of clear crystal-like ribbons throughout the stone walls. He wondered who would want a house made completely out of stone, and such an odd stone no less. Under his feet was a different type of stone he once thought it to be marble -- now it seemed to glow in a foggy green way as the natural light hit it. Green, like jade, Mitsuru decided. Almost like jade grass.

His eyes washed over the unusual patterns along the floor as he continued walking. Mitsuru almost didn't realize that he'd found what he was originally looking for once he followed the spiraling staircase up to the next level and down the halls -- directly into the lair of the beasts. He smashed into Akira, who had been waiting for him as soon as he picked up his scent coming in their direction.

"Hello," Akira smiled at the confused tengu. "We've been waiting for you, Mitsuru-Chan!"

"Mitsuru-Chan?" Mitsuru choked. What the hell was wrong with him? He wasn't some little kid, and he hated being addressed as one.

"Come this way," Akira grabbed hold of the tengu's wrist and hauled him almost forcefully down the narrow hall, just around the bend where Mitsuru ran into him.

"Where are you taking me?" Mitsuru asked, not bothering trying to sound polite.

"To your room," Akira told him very matter-of-factly.

"What the hell? I have a room now? Look--this isn't going to be a permanent arrangement," Mitsuru told the werewolf as he continued to be dragged along down the now darker hallways. "I'm here only until I can find a way to bust out. That's all."

His words did not phase the large wolf. Akira remembered even from the time past that his tengu friend did not like being one of the group. It was difficult for him to accept kindness.

"Here we are," Akira stopped in front of a door near the end of the hall. "We left it just the way you had it. No one's been in here."

Mitsuru sneered. He did not enjoy being addressed as their long lost friend. Curiosity got to him, however, as he pushed the door of the room open. Inside was like walking into a great forest, trees--as real as he'd ever seen them--were there to great him as he took a step inside. Mitsuru looked up, trying to decide how plants could grow, rooted into the floor, inside such a dark and gloomy place. It smelled like pine trees, he noted. From the door, Akira grinned as Mitsuru became engrossed in his surroundings.

"We should get the princess' room ready," Akira heard Misoka's voice from behind him.

"Will she be staying with us?" Akira asked excitedly.

From farther down the hall, Nozomu nodded. "Yes," he smiled. "She will be able to free us if she's here."

They followed the vampire down another bend, leaving the tengu to sort out his thoughts in his old room. The bunch stopped at the end of the long hall, in front of massive double doors that seemed to be closed for ages. They were covered in dust; cobwebs were draping the corners like lace curtains. None of this phased Nozomu as he pushed the doors open with very little effort.

Water trickled out and brushed against their feet, the floating crystal steps were there, waiting to greet them just as they once were. Nozomu's eyes looked over the vast ocean inside of their home, its blue waters so dark and peaceful it was as if nothing had ever disturbed them. A platform high above could be seen several yards away, floating above the ocean. Crystal steps wove to the doorway, hovering above the water just as the platform was. Nozomu smiled to himself.

They were staring into the princess's little world.

Leading the way, Nozomu bravely put his weight onto the first step, unsure if it was still stable enough for him or anyone else to use. Once he was sure nothing would go crashing into the water, he beckoned for the others to follow him.

It was always twilight inside the princess's room. Bright enough for her human eyes to see, but not too bright for her companions to come and visit her. She once found it comforting, a sort of bridge between the two worlds. If you concentrated, Nozomu remembered, you could at times hear the songs of sea life from the water. He smiled yet again, forgetting how much he loved this room. It had been closed off since the incident. Not even Akira poked a furry toe into its waters for several hundred years.

Nozomu's heart beat faster, just as it did years ago as he climbed the everlasting stairs up to the living area. He felt like he used to, back when he was in this room more often than when he was in his own. He could almost imagine the princess standing at the top of the stairs, waiting for him just like she used to. His heart beat even faster.

"Are you alright?" Misoka broke Nozomu from his thoughts. The vampire turned carefully on the narrow steps to see the fox below him.

"Yes," He assured him. "I was just remembering, that's all."

Misoka nodded, not needing further answers. Back in their days of happiness, Nozomu was in love with the princess. The princess was in love with Nozomu as well. Nozomu was willing to bear the light in the room for hours daily just to be near her. And for him, she lived in their moonlit world away from the rest of humanity.

A great canopy bed waited in the back of the room of water, to the left sat a large table with a broken tea set scattered about the floor. Chairs had been thrown every which way. Nozomu's eyes fell on the massive broken window to the side of the table.

Memories were not something that faded over the years for vampires. He saw the tengu clear as day, pulling his beloved princess into his arms. Flames climbed the walls. The sea below thrashed about, threatening tsunamis to envelope the fire that was betraying them. Screams from the halls, thundering footsteps, horses crying through the night, glass shattering, wind roaring from the broken window… and the eyes of the mountain god locked on his own.

He'd watched, helpless, as Mahiru had been taken away from him that godforsaken night.

Nozomu's hands clenched into fists as he relived the most painful moments he'd ever experienced.

Ever so slowly, his fingers loosened. He had no reason to let himself be so angry.

The pain he'd been feeling in his chest, the pain far worse than starving for nearly a thousand years, was beginning to fade.

By moonlight, his princess would return to him.  


* * *

**AN:  
**  
Yay, the end of chapter four! Please forgive it being a bit short, my brain is lacking it seems. Also, please forgive any errors, as always, because I cannot always pick them up on my own.

If you read this, please review! -- You guys keep me going, and I'd really like to hear from you. Ghost readers make me sad. Heh.

Alright, well, I hope you enjoyed the forth chapter! I'll update again soon.

-RH


	6. Chapter five

Mahiru shuffled through the front door of her Aunt's house just as her caretaker was beginning to become frantic with worry.

"Where have you been?!" her aunt cried as she dropped the phone she had been using as Mahiru came in.

Mahiru pushed the heavy door shut behind her as she tried to compile words together. How was she supposed to explain last night to a very down to earth woman like her aunt? She'd never believe her. Mahiru fidgeted, expecting to be yelled at.

"Please don't be mad at me, Auntie…" she said, her eyes threatening tears.

The woman who had taken care of her since she was a child came closer and threw her arms around Mahiru. Mahiru inhaled sharply as she realized what was happening.

"Don't _ever _do that to me again," her aunt said, her voice shaking a bit. Mahiru's insides twisted. Her aunt was sensitive about this sort of thing -- they were the only family each other had.

"Auntie…" Mahiru's voice broke. Guilt was swelling up inside her. "Auntie, I can't promise you that…"

Her aunt let go to look at the shaken girl in the eyes. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"Mitsuru is in trouble…" Mahiru looked away. She knew her aunt didn't favor her wild friend. "And I'm the only one that can save him."

"Mahiru, if that boy is in some sort of trouble, then we need to let the proper _authorities_ deal with it." her aunt was doing her best not to sound too harsh about the matter.

Mahiru's eyes swelled with tears. She didn't care if she was being treated like a kid, she would _not _let her aunt talk her out of helping her childhood friend this time.

"Auntie, please just trust me. I'll be fine, but I will be gone for a while. I need to help him, Auntie. I _need _to."

Mahiru's aunt grimaced. That boy was always getting her daughter-like niece into trouble, and she was afraid to ask what had happened that'd cause her to be so adamant in helping. Mahiru's London blue eyes stared intently into her aunt's chocolate brown's until the woman finally cracked.

"Do you _know_ how worried I was? I walked the whole neighborhood all night, thinking someone might have dumped your body in the bushes somewhere! I was so scared something horrible happened to you, Mahiru, you know I love you as if you were my own daughter. I was on the phone filing a police report as you walked in…"

Mahiru stared at her shoes. How was she supposed to respond to that? "I… I'm sorry, Auntie…"

Her aunt was still too shaken to register the apology. "You may be seventeen, Mahiru, but that doesn't mean you're ready to take on the world yet. You've still got so much growing to do, and you can't do it if you're off worrying me sick all night! Where _were _you?"

This was what Mahiru was hoping to avoid. "Mitsuru might have found his family…" Mahiru slowly looked back to her aunt's eyes, not really knowing how else to explain the demon princes she'd met only hours before. "But he's in trouble, they've got him and they won't let go."

"And you think you're going to somehow manage to save him? He's still a minor, Mahiru, he _should _be with his family." This was a touchy subject for her. She wasn't willing to be argued with over the issue.

"I _will_ save him," Mahiru said, her voice no more than a whisper. She wasn't willing to be cut down either.

If her aunt didn't know better, she might have thought Mahiru was just doing this to tap into her unused teenage rebel hormones. But since she knew the girl since she was no more than three feet tall, she knew that Mahiru wouldn't put so much effort into arguing with her unless she was really serious.

"Where are you going?" she sighed, hating that she was giving into this ridiculous situation. "…How long will you be away?"

"Out of town," Mahiru lied. If her aunt knew she was going to a mythical castle less than a mile away, she might be sent to a mental hospital. "I don't know how long I'll be gone, Auntie. I'll try hard to be back as soon as I possibly can."

As much as she wanted to, Mahiru's aunt couldn't refuse the girl's request to find and help her friend even if it went against her better judgment. Mahiru had never really asked for something so big in all the years of staying with her. Nothing so absurd passed her nieces lips until now. _But is it really absurd? _she thought. Mahiru was a good, kind girl. She went well out of her way to help others. She befriended the rat of the neighborhood when no one else would go near him.

"Alright…" she sighed. "Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise!" Mahiru hugged her aunt tightly. She hated putting her through something like this, but she was grateful she understood.

**. . . . .**

On the other side of the city, hidden away from human eyes, four princes waited in their prison like home for their Princess of the Moon to return.

Akira had taken it upon himself to clean up the broken glass scattered about the Princess's room, he was being extra careful to make sure not one speck of the brittle looking glass was left to harm her human flesh.

By using his spells and kitsune magic, Misoka replaced the broken windowpane with a crystal blue topaz window. The princes had favored stone over glass for quite some time -- it was sturdier and it reflected the moon a thousand times more than glass would. They had changed the linens on the bed to match the window. Everything now reflected a light blue sheen, perfect for the girl who was to join them.

Nozomu was busy picking up scattered treasures up from the floor by the bed. Some were broken into pieces from the wind that'd blown in through the window while others managed to survive the storm. A few of her dresser's drawers had blown open, their inhabitance had been scattered throughout the room and blown over the platform into the dream like sea below. "Hey, Misoka," He laughed, picking up one of the hand made dolls off the floor. "Do you remember this?"

The werefox looked at the unfinished doll in the vampire's grasp. It was a replica of himself, down to the last details in his robes and all. "Yes," a rare smile cracked over his lips for a moment before he went back to his normal expressionless composure. "I can remember how hard the Princess was working on making those dolls for us. Have you found the others?"

Nozomu pointed to a pile of other dolls on the girl's bed. She wasn't very good at sewing, but you could tell she'd put days of work into each one. She had made versions of each of them--human and beast--and was going to give them out as presents for New Years. She had been so excited, making sure no one saw where she hid them, but over time they all had caught glimpses of them here and there when they'd come up to check on her.

"Aww, she never finished mine," Akira moped, holding his werewolf-self in doll form.

"Maybe she'll finish it once she gets back?" Misoka suggested as he went to clean up the mess under the table in the corner of her room.

"You think?" Akira perked up.

Nozomu grinned. "If you ask her nicely, I'm sure she'd give it some thought."

Akira nodded, placing the furry doll back on the bed. "I'm going swimming," he announced.

Misoka shook his head. "Try not to make a mess."

"But the mess is half the fun," Akira protested, his ears laying back.

"Alright, let me rephrase," Misoka said, his attention fully on the werewolf. "Make a mess, but don't break anything."

"Gotcha," Akira grinned. He dashed down the crystal steps leading to the door, stopping half way down and jumped into the water.

Nozomu watched as the wolf splashed in the water, fishing out the trinkets that had rolled into the sea.

"We should have cleaned this up sooner," Misoka murmured, he too watching Akira act like a puppy playing in a puddle.

Nozomu sighed. He would've agreed with his friend, but in the days passing he could only cringe when he thought about coming up into the Princess's room. It used to be one of the most well kept rooms in the castle, and now it lay in ruins. Thick layers of dust covered nearly everything he touched. Scattered memories were thrown in every which way, no matter where he looked, something caught his eye and one of his memories would replay in his mind like a movie. Before this, it was too hard to let those memories play. He would get lost in it all. But now, he welcomed the precious memories.

He had collected quite a few of Mahiru's belongings, and they were now being placed in their rightful places throughout her large room. He cringed when he saw how much of it was broken -- the china dolls no longer had faces, the pictures had their glass broken.

Misoka was being kind and giving him his space to reminisce in the mess. He too was busy recalling the Princess's favorite things as he was busy cleaning, but he dared not mention anything to the vampire who seemed to be completely lost in thought. He'd picked through the scattered stones that were washed up along the river they used to live by, noticing how they'd seem to petrify with age. Most of the things in the room that came from nature had aged in the due time they'd spent in locked away. The stones had come from a day out where he was collecting herbs for medicines; Mahiru had followed behind quite contently -- she was more than happy to see the river whatever the reason. She'd spent the day watching the fish in the river as he hunted for the greenery he needed. She distracted him a lot, beckoning him to come look at a particular fish or a stone that she had collected. He would've been annoyed at anyone else, but her childlike innocence kept him from any bit of anger he might have felt.

Mahiru was very close to all of the princes in some way or another. They each saw her as an important part of the family. She shared Misoka's love of nature, and Akira's obsession with fine foods. She loved to be his official taste tester. They had spent hours on end in the kitchen; it never ceased to amaze the others just how much such a petite girl like her could eat. That, of course, made her the perfect candidate for testing Akira's food inventions.

Mitsuru was an odd case -- he didn't get along well with anyone. This made Mahiru want to get him to open up all the more, she would go well out of her way to get him to talk to her, or to at least let her be around him. He was never particularly rude to the princess, but he had no idea how to respond to her friendly affection. It intrigued him, stirring his insides with some kind of emotion he wasn't familiar with. This, of course, was something he would never admit to anyone though. He'd take his secret to the grave.

Nozomu finished cleaning off the dust on the wardrobe and tidied the trinkets that sat on top. It looked odd to him though, like something was missing. His eyes drifted over the flower vase, past the dolls and the mirror, and onto the empty space right in the middle of the warn out dresser. He'd seen the room a thousand times, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what had once sat in the empty space.

"Hey!" Akira called as he dashed up the stairs soaking wet. "Look at what I found in the water." He held out a wooden box, its sky-blue paint dripping and running through the colors of the scenery painted on it.

Nozomu blinked. It was the music box that had been missing from on top the wardrobe. He reached out to take it from the soaked wolf, his eyes staring past the tattered and ruined wood to the key on the back side of it. Carefully his fingers wound it, even though his mind told him there's no way the ruined little box could still be able to play the song it once had. As soon as he let go of the key, it spun slowly in place, and the song of the princess became to tinkle from the mechanisms inside the broken box.

Misoka turned to see what was causing the song they had known so well to play. He'd set down the last of his cleaning and watched his vampire friend get lost in the song as he quietly sang along.

_Princess, Princess, why do you cry?_

_In a forest painted by the setting sun_

_I made a promise to a demon boy._

Akira looked away as the song died out. It was like watching a private moment between two people in love -- or in this case, Nozomu's memory of the Princess who he loved.

Nozomu clicked the rusted latch of the box open with some effort. Inside sat something he'd been too afraid to look for -- his present to the princess when he confessed his love to her.

A moonstone -- good luck back in the time given -- hung from a silver chain. It was clear, not in the least bit opaque. When the light caught it, it glowed like the light of the moon. It was indeed a gem fit for a princess -- for his princess -- in which she wore every day up until the incident that forced them apart. The moonstone itself was no ordinary stone. It hat been passed down through his family, it's power too great for most to handle. Nozomu had been entrusted with it when he was only a boy--his father had told him to keep it close to his heart no matter what. He had worn it since then, assuming his father's words were meant to be literal.

He'd never even considered another possibility until he'd met Mahiru, who had wandered away from her father's palace one day when she was no more than six years old. Nozomu had been watching her from a treetop nearby, his eight-year-old self more than amused at the little girl below him stumbling around and bumping into trees as she looked for her way home. After a while, he took pity on the damsel in distress and decided to act as her knight.

He'd jumped from the branch where he was perched quite swiftly and landed only a few feet behind her without a sound. By then, Mahiru had been crying from her worry -- she thought she was going to be lost forever in the forest that seemed to be so massive to such a little girl.

Nozomu, being the proper young lad that he was, escorted the young girl out of the woods and into the palace with very little trouble at all. He knew in the back of his mind that he could get himself in a world of trouble if anyone had seen him in there -- at the time, humans were not getting along with the Lunar Race. Had one of the guards noticed the blonde haired boy with the princess, he could very well have beheaded right then and there.

It was a risk he was willing to take once he saw just how upset the girl who clung to him was. His father had taught him well, women were something to be treasured, not to be looked down upon because of their emotions. When he saw Mahiru's swollen eyes and panicked face, he forgot about his own safety and led her home. Who cared if he died now? At least he'd die for a good cause--the princess would no longer have to be afraid because of his actions.

"Thank you," the girl sniffled once he got her safely into her room. "I was so scared I'd never get back."

Nozomu patted the girl's head. "It's alright. I'm glad you're safe now."

Mahiru smiled, her six-year-old eyes shinned with gratitude. "Is there any way I can repay you?" she asked. Even for a child, she knew her manners quite well.

Nozomu grinned. "Marry me?" he asked, almost teasing.

"But I'm still young," Mahiru answered.

It surprised Nozomu that she didn't run away screaming at his request. He put his hand on her shoulder and guided her to one of the massive bay windows in her room. The sun was starting to set, and the faint crescent of his beloved moon could be seen hanging gracefully in the sky above. He pointed up to it, making sure the girl could see, before he continued. "I'll come back in ten lunar years," he said, more of a promise to himself than to her. "By then, you will have grown into a beautiful young woman. When I return, I will ask you again for your hand."

The princess looked up at the boy. Her cheeks turned pink as she realized she was now betrothed to the most beautiful of people she had ever seen. Blonde hair and blue eyes was not something you saw often where she was from, it made her young heart skip beats just looking at him.

"You won't have to ask…" she said shyly. "I promise to marry you in return for saving me. Just…" she looked away, tying decide how to form her words correctly.

Nozomu looked down at the girl, astonished she was taking this so well. "Just?" he asked, trying to get her to continue whatever it was she was about to say.

"Just don't forget me." Mahiru said, her eyes locked on his.

Nozomu smiled down at the girl. "You have my word, fair princess, that in ten lunar years, I will return."

Nozomu shook his head as the memory of when he first met Mahiru began to fade. It had been years since he'd thought of it. Even though he promised ten years of time before his return, he often went to check on the young girl, always careful to stay out of sight with each visit. When she was grown, he finally kept his word and took her away.

The night of which, Mahiru stood waiting in her best kimono--sure she was getting married right there on the spot--by the bay window where Nozomu had made her the promise. When he came in, he was taken aback by how much she had grown and matured -- she no longer resembled the little girl he'd rescued. She had grown into the most beautiful of women he had ever seen.

Before he knew what he was doing, he pulled the stone his father had given him -- his precious moon stone passed down through his family -- from under his layers of clothing and slipped the chain over his head. _Keep it close to your heart_, he heard the words of his father as clear as if the great vampire had been standing in the room with them. He took a step forward, cautious as to not startle the young woman, and slipped the chain over her hair and placed it gently around her neck.

She looked down at it, not quite understanding the reason for the gift.

"Lady Mahiru," Nozomu said as he stood in the light of the full moon, his voce quiet but sure. "I have come to declare my love for you. May I have the honor of having you as my bride?"

Mahiru smiled. "You needn't ask. I've been yours since the day we met."

That was all Nozomu needed to hear. He took the girl into his arms and held her tightly. His vampire self was trying to immerge -- to come forth and claim the girl as his own right then and there. It was a struggle to keep in his human skin.

"Mahiru," he whispered into her ear, his voice thick with need. "I… Are you sure? If I… If I do this, then there's no turning back…"

Mahiru buried her face in the young vampire's chest. "I know," she said, her voice so faint it wouldn't have been heard if a pin dropped. "I am yours, which means my blood is yours…"

Nozomu felt his teeth ache. It wasn't the kind of ache he felt like when he was thirsty--this feeling was something completely new to him. His instincts took over as he delicately pushed her hair away from her neck and bent to smell the blood below her ivory skin. It was singing to him, no other blood made him ache like hers did. He grazed his sharp teeth against her skin before he found the exact place he would claim her. _Only a few drops_, he reminded himself. _That's all I'll need to bind us together._

He was swift, pressing his sharp fangs into her before she knew any pain. It took no more than a second before it was over, Nozomu pulled away quickly afraid the blood that sang to him would trigger a lust he wouldn't be able to control. He gently kissed the place where he'd bit before turning his head slightly to clean the blood from his lips.

Mahiru looked up at him, her eyes no longer seeing the young man she'd dreamt of since she was a child. In his place stood a man that made her heart beat harshly in her chest. He was no longer just a boy she cared about -- she was now looking into the eyes of the man who she would spend her life with.

* * *

That's the end of chapter five. It took me forever to get done because my computer kept crashing and deleting it. Believe me, it wasn't fun.

Many thanks to **moonsnite**, who provided a lot of ideas for this chapter.

Also, please forgive any errors. I'll fix them as soon as I notice them.

Thank you to whoever reads this! Please let me know what you thought!

-RH


End file.
